Wheeler Lecture Wednesday covers sex, public health and social media


Sexting, facebooking and tweeting were all part of Wednesday night’s lecture in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium hosted by Eta Sigma Gamma, the health education honorary fraternity.

All seats and floor space were filled as more than 150 students packed into the auditorium for “All a Twitter: Using Social Networking to Promote Public Health,” the latest event in the Wheeler Lecture series.

Guest speaker Heather Alberda said she uses social media to reach consumers and advertise sexual health education in her role as reproductive health educator with the Ottawa County Health Department.

“Social media is something that a lot of people are using these days, so it is a good way to get the word out there,” said Mason sophomore Natalie Iverson.

Throughout the presentation, Alberda showed serveral videos with social media user statistics.

“I think these statistics are reflective of our culture in terms of where technology is moving and how much time we spend utilizing technology,” Alberda said.

Today people can talk on the phone, shop and text all at the same time, she said.

“Everybody is obsessed with their phone, technology and social media, so it kind of sparked their interest,” said Hartland senior Kendall Motzell. “This is a way they can learn to use it in a professional world.”

Today people do not have look for news; it comes to them by way of social media, Alberda said.

“I think this is a growing way to advertise in many businesses, not just health professions,” said Petoskey senior Katlyn Cosens.

Students interested in public health careers were able to learn what technology can be used to advertise and educate.

“When we think about public health and when we think about promoting those messages, we need to be thinking about those different platforms to be getting those messages out to a broader audience,” Alberda said.

She said using social media is cheaper than advertising.

“In public health, we are seeing that in terms of investment, we are getting a huge return on investment for a very small price,” Alberda said.

She said some people call social media a fad, but said it is here to stay.

“The fact of the matter is that it is here," Alberda said. "Now we embrace it and we use those technology advancements to our advantage and promote public health messages.”

Share: